Having extensive web design experience, the team at SMI has been immersed in web development since the early days of the Internet having commercial applications. Early on, we implemented a lot of “bells and whistles” into websites at the client’s request and often simply because we could. However, as web analytics came online, we started to realize that complexity in design was not necessarily a good thing. Highly complicated navigation schemes, Flash animation, and music are less important to overall success than having a simple, highly functional website. We discovered early on that we had websites that were aesthetically pleasing to the client and did work, but they had unusually high bounce rates (people hitting the back button almost immediately). Nine times out of ten, this is a strong indication that the user became confused by the website and was unable to perform the task at hand. This generally translates to lost opportunity and revenue.
In today’s competitive market, you need only look at some of the large retailers to determine what does and what does not work from a design and information architecture perspective (navigation and usability). They have spent a tremendous amount of time, money and resources so that you do not have to. When considering your navigation approach and information architecture, simply look at what the big guys (Overstock, Ebay, Amazon, Target etc..) are doing. Now, that is not to say that clever design elements, creative navigational layouts and Flash do not have a place. For certain businesses such as artists, designers, or digital agencies, the slick design elements can have a purpose from an aesthetics perspective. However, overall it is about function over form when trying to develop a user-friendly business tool.
Here are a few “Do’s” and “Don’ts” that you want to consider when beginning your web development project or website redesign:
DO NOT turn your web development project over to a web designer and assume they are well-versed in SEO best practices which are designed to make sure your site is found in the major search engines(Google, Bing and Yahoo). SEO is a completely separate discipline from web design, and if it is overlooked early on, you will be retrofitting the entire site down the road.
DO consult with a navigation/information architect expert to make sure that you have a functional website that is simple to use. Both humans and search engines likes to see content items grouped by common themes, so conducting some basic information architecture exercises will help guarantee you have a functional, easy to use website.
DO NOT allow your web developer to talk you into building a site entirely in Flash. Although Flash elements can serve a purpose, the negative far outweighs the benefits from a search engine optimization perspective. We have yet to find a website built in Flash that has good visibility in the search engines. This does not even consider the plug-in download/updates required and the usability problems with Flash websites.
DO ask for references from any design group you choose and actually follow up with those references. Ask them how the designer did with deadlines, if they exceeded expectations, and ask them to provide some feedback on how their recent redesign helped their business overall.
DO NOT let your “friend’s cousin” build your company’s website because he/she took a web design class in summer school and is going to “give you a deal.” Would you allow someone who took an entry level accounting class to prepare your company’s tax return? Our guess is probably not. You should approach your web development project with an understanding that you are hiring a professional to develop a quality business tool for your company.
DO seek out professional, digital marketers who have web development experience. Even if you have a highly talented internal staff, it will benefit you greatly in the long run to have an objective, outside observer who can lead you down this path. A good digital marketing professional will have a clear understanding of how the search engines operate and how content should be structured and repurposed for the web.
DO conduct on-going usability testing. Usability testing is a discipline that is often overlooked and is extremely important. By implementing some pretty basic content organization exercises, usability testing will help your development team identify how/where users are being confused by your website. Then you can make those minor adjustments prior to launching your website. Keep in mind that poor usability not only affects the user, but also impacts the search engine bots’ ability to quickly crawl and learn about your website.
Follow these simple guidelines and you will help ensure a successful website launch or redesign for your organization.
Please contact SMI today to learn more about how we can assist you with your web development and digital marketing efforts.
